Surplus 8mm Mauser ammo?

[Recon-01]

Just picked up a K98. I know that I'm a little late to the game in regards to cheap/good 8mm Mauser ammo.
Just looking at what to stay away from and if there is any still available for a decent price?
I do have my FFL03 and COE if that helps anything.
Thanks in advance.

[smle-man]

Just picked up a K98. I know that I'm a little late to the game in regards to cheap/good 8mm Mauser ammo.
Just looking at what to stay away from and if there is any still available for a decent price?
I do have my FFL03 and COE if that helps anything.
Thanks in advance.

Stay away from Yugo ball marked 11 54. I had a base failure as have others.

https://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=142063

[Rogerbutthead]

Stay away from Turkish 8mm.

https://www.forgottenweapons.com/why-we-dont-use-turkish-8mm-surplus/

I can't find the good Portuguese 8mm surplus that was around decades ago.....all used up I guess.

People were talking about using Romanian 8mm surplus a few years ago too, but I couldn't find any locally.

[CAL.BAR]

In other words, yeah, stay away from most all the surplus currently available. Privi Partisan at over a buck a round.

[sealocan]

I've never ordered anything from this guy but his videos do come up as suggested on YouTube and coincidentally I noticed his last video (just 5 hours ago) was on his recent import of 8 mm WWll German made ammo And his video before that one (about 4 days ago) was on the 100 surplus 8 mm Mauser rifles he brought in.

he's had the channel going for a while so I don't think he's fly by night but again I've never used him so proceed with caution and as always price check against competitors.

https://youtu.be/Ue-arQqZVno?si=IMgtj7XClUjy1ofd

The ammo video above and the rifle video below..

https://youtu.be/motJW1IiJ_8?si=hEPDe5LmcUOjUriy

[Recon-01]

Stay away from Turkish 8mm.

https://www.forgottenweapons.com/why-we-dont-use-turkish-8mm-surplus/

I can't find the good Portuguese 8mm surplus that was around decades ago.....all used up I guess.

People were talking about using Romanian 8mm surplus a few years ago too, but I couldn't find any locally.

I saw that SGammo has Romanian surplus but it's like $300 for a 380 round spam can.

[Recon-01]

I've never ordered anything from this guy but his videos do come up as suggested on YouTube and coincidentally I noticed his last video (just 5 hours ago) was on his recent import of 8 mm WWll German made ammo And his video before that one (about 4 days ago) was on the 100 surplus 8 mm Mauser rifles he brought in.

he's had the channel going for a while so I don't think he's fly by night but again I've never used him so proceed with caution and as always price check against competitors.

https://youtu.be/Ue-arQqZVno?si=IMgtj7XClUjy1ofd

The ammo video above and the rifle video below..

https://youtu.be/motJW1IiJ_8?si=hEPDe5LmcUOjUriy

I saw the video by Mosincrate. Problem with him is usually when he releases items, they are gone in seconds.
J&G Sales has some German WW2 ammo in stock. $200 for 300 rounds.

[hambam105]

OP, if you reload...Reforming 270 or 30-06 brass into 8mm, (7.92 X 57mm) might be an option for your shooting needs.

.

[Rogerbutthead]

I had an unopened 200rd pack of German WWII 8mm ammo, but ATF ripped it open to examine it when they searched my house for illegal weapons - I noticed that some of the steel rounds inside the package were rusted and one had cracked.

Buy it for collectability not shooting, I would guess.

[bohoki]

i cant tell you what to get but i got some turkish mauser ammo and it works great clean as a whistle and goes off every time came on the little clips on bandoliers i really dont know what gun i would not reccomend firing it in cause all 8mm firearms are robust cause 8mm is a hell of a round to begin with

[echo1]

[QUOTE=bohoki;28164777]i cant tell you what to get but i got some turkish mauser ammo and it works great clean as a whistle and goes off every time came on the little clips on bandoliers i really dont know what gun i would not reccomend firing it in cause all 8mm firearms are robust cause 8mm is a hell of a round to begin with[/QUOT]

What about GEW88s converted to spitzer projectiles? I've heard horror STORIES about receiver failures but never seen any actual data. I know some milsurp 8mm was for MGs and supposedly hot, for various Finnish .303 headstamps as well I hear. New commercial 8mm is made for 88s pressure I've been told, lowest common denomiator legalese. I've read on Gunboards, a couple guys say that they've used milsurp 8mm in their 88s consistently and that the CZ rebuilt GEW 88/05/35 isn't as problematic because the replacement Czech barrels are metallurgically superior. Any thought on usage lore? PAX

[Rogerbutthead]

I collect G/K43 German WWII rifles and that was where I was told a decade or more ago - to never use Turkish 8mm in that weapon. Pretty much they said to not buy/use it in anything.

Never fired it myself. Pretty much run out of Portuguese, still have a lot of Yugo 8mm, but was warned to use that in bolt actions only too. G43s break too easily anyway, so they are all safe queens.

[MajorSideburns]

The Turkish stuff is loaded pretty hot and it's not good for delicate firearms like a G43. Most people agree to avoid using it in semi-autos. I've shot a bunch of it through my mausers over the years with no issues other than substandard accuracy and split necks from brittle brass. The Yugoslavian surplus has always been good to me. Sometimes the primers are hard and require a second try to set off if your pin protrusion isn't up to spec or your springs are weak. It's always given me decent accuracy. I've shot tons of it over the years and it uses a heavier 196 grain projectile which is a close copy to the German WW2 round so will match your sights closely. The Romanian surplus was always my favorite in terms of low recoil and reliability, it uses a lighter 150 something grain projectile so will print pretty high on your K98 sights similar to the Turkish ammo.

[SDDAVE56]

I have a Yugo M48A. Only ammo I have for it is Yugo ammo. Had one hang fire in say 400 rounds, Waited a bit, re cocked the rifle, it fired. I have not noticed any abnormalities with the spent cases either.

[kendog4570]

If you can find some, Yugo M75 is the best. VERY accurate.